1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel benzyl alcohol derivatives and more particularly to novel 4-substituted amino-.alpha.-aminomethylbenzyl alcohol derivatives and the pharmaceutically acceptable nontoxic salts thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various compounds having bronchodilator activity are known and among them Isoproterenol and Salbutamol are well known as a bronchodilating agent and are commercially available. In the prophylactic treatment of asthma, it is desirable that a medicament showing bronchodilator activity be administered orally. However, although commercially available medicaments show strong bronchodilator activity by parenteral administration such as by intravenous injection, or by aerosol administration, etc., the bronchodilator activity of these medicaments is not sufficiently strong when they are orally administered. Thus, there has been an urgent need for the discovery of a medicament showing a strong bronchodilator activity by oral administration.
Now, recently, it was reported that 1-(4-amino-3,5-dichlorophenyl)-2-tert-butylamino ethanol (referred to as NAB 365) shown by the formula: ##STR3## showed a strong bronchodilator activity by oral administration (see, Arzneim, Forsch; 22(5), 861-876(1972)). The report discloses that the bronchodilator activity of NAB 365 by oral administration is about 500 times stronger than that of Isoproterenol and about 100 times stronger than that of Salbutamol.